1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and device for displaying signage systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement in displaying lenticular images.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A lenticular lens as used in this field is a sheet of transparent material having one side composed of a contiguous array of cylindrical lenses known as lenticules, and the other side being generally flat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,545 issued to Wu et al. discusses the structure of a lenticular lens. Lenticular images that are typically used in conjunction with the lenticular lenses are composite images composed of several different independent images interlaced into the same space. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,364,274 and 5,494,445 issued to Sekiguchi discuss the process of making a lenticular image.
Viewing a lenticular image through a lenticular lens, collectively known as a lenticular display, is well known in the prior art. A lenticular display allows a viewer to perceive multiple images appearing individually within the same dimensional space or plane. It is also possible for a person viewing a lenticular display to perceive a three dimensional visual effect within the same plane due to the parallax shift associated with the distance between the viewer""s eyes viewing a slightly different image presented by the lenticular display.
A lenticular image is typically either imprinted directly to the back side of the lenticular lens or fixedly mounted to the back side of the lens to form the lenticular display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,666 issued to McDonald discloses a viewer that holds a lenticular image behind a lenticular lens. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,850,913 and 5,941,382 issued to Fantone et al. discloses a display box utilizing a lenticular image viewed through a lenticular lens. In order to perceive the different images presented in lenticular displays of this type, the angle at which the viewer observes the lenticular display must be changed. Thus, as the viewer""s angle of observation changes, the discrete images contained within the lenticular image are seen as different images or a sequence of related images as animations or morphs. To allow a stationary viewer to perceive the different images presented in a lenticular display of this type, the lenticular display must be moved in order to achieve the necessary angle change. Alternatively, the movement of the viewer can be relied upon to change the angle of observance of a stationary lenticular display of this type. FIG. 1 illustrates a lenticular display of this typical prior art type where the lenticular image is fixedly attached to the lenticular lens. Thus, a signage display system utilizing a typical lenticular display for advertising or other such purposes, must therefor be moved if one desires to display the different lenticular images to a stationary viewer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,879 issued to Simons discloses an animated display device having illuminating means in which shutter film and program film are continuously maintained in complete contact. To accomplish this, a rigid platen having a convex surface that carries the shutter film is mounted within a housing disposed in facing contact with the convex surface of the platen. Tensioning springs are used to hold the shutter film against the convex platen. Drive means are provided for moving the program film relative to the platen so as to alter the alignment of the shutter film and program film to change the image projected by the device. This display device is of rather complex structure consisting of many expensive parts, is rather cumbersome to install, and is not adaptable for use with existing standard signage display systems and light box displays.
Therefore, there exists a need for an effective self-actuating lenticular display assembly that can be used with existing and standard signage display systems and light box displays. It is the primary object of this invention to fill this need.
Another objective of the claimed invention is to provide a self-actuating lenticular display that is less expensive and complex to manufacture.
Another objective of the claimed invention is to provide a self-actuating lenticular display that is relatively light and has a thin profile.
Another objective of the claimed invention is to provide a self-actuating lenticular display that provides means to reduce xe2x80x9csoft spotsxe2x80x9d which may occur during operation of a self-actuating lenticular display.
The claimed invention is directed to providing a solution to the problem of complex lenticular display devices that are expensive to manufacture and are not adaptable to existing standard signage display systems and light box displays, as well as other problems associated with the effective presentation of lenticular displays.
The claimed invention provides a self-actuating lenticular display assembly that places the lenticular image in intimate contact with the lenticular lens while maintaining the lenticular image separate from the lenticular lens to form the lenticular display. Since the lenticular image is separate from that of the lenticular lens, the position of either the lenticular image or the lenticular lens can be moved while the other can remain stationary. The lenticular display assembly utilizes the independent nature of the lenticular image by moving a smaller lenticular image in a parallel plane to that of the lenticular lens while allowing an existing standard signage display system to hold the lenticular lens in a stationary position. This independent relationship forms an effective lenticular display capable of displaying the different images of a lenticular image that can be used in an existing stationary signage display system or display light box. With the lenticular lens remaining stationary, and the lenticular image moving in a parallel plane behind the lenticular lens inside the signage display system or display light box, the lenticular display appears to remain stationary to the viewer while the displayed images change.
The lenticular display assembly further comprises a rigid back plate placed behind the lenticular display so that the lenticular image moves in a parallel plane between the lenticular lens and the rigid back plate. Ordinarily, the rigid back plate is smaller than the lenticular lens so that the outer profile of the lenticular display assembly has a thickness equal to the thickness of the lenticular lens. However, the rigid back plate may also be larger than the lens if the particular application so dictates. Consequently, whenever the back plate and lens happen to be of different sizes, the outermost profile may be reduced to the thickness of whichever plate is largest.
The rigid back plate is preferably made of a transparent material when the lenticular display assembly is constructed to be used in a light box display that provides light from behind the lenticular display assembly. The rigid back plate can however be made of many other types of non-transparent material if the lenticular display assembly is anticipated to be used in a setting that will not use back lighting, such as hanging the lenticular display assembly directly on a wall.
The resulting structure of the claimed self-actuating lenticular display assembly provides an assembly with a light-weight as well as slim profile that can be used in existing standard signage display systems with little or no modification.
To accomplish the movement of the lenticular image in relation to the lenticular lens, a motor located in proximate relation to the top or bottom center of the lenticular image is used. The motorized movement of the lenticular image behind the lenticular lens provides the self-actuating effect of the lenticular display assembly.
One critical aspect of displaying lenticular images is the physical alignment of the linear axis of the lens (or lenticules) with the linear axis of the lenticular images. Alignment and positioning between the lenticular image and lenticular lens must be maintained for a viewer to observe the multiple images as the lenticular image moves in a direction perpendicular to the linear axis of lenticular lens. The claimed invention maintains this critical relationship by employing alignment mechanisms that allow the lenticular image to be incrementally adjusted in relation to the lenticular lens.
Another important aspect pertaining to employing a lenticular image separate from the lenticular lens is maintaining the xe2x80x9cintimacy of the relationshipxe2x80x9d between the lenticular image and the lenticular lens. If the lenticular image is not maintained in an intimate relationship with the lenticular lens, xe2x80x9csoft spotsxe2x80x9d occur in the displayed image. A xe2x80x9csoft spotxe2x80x9d describes the blurred lenticular display or portion of the lenticular display that is produced when the intimacy of the relationship is not maintained and the image resides outside of the focal length of the lens. The xe2x80x9csoft spotxe2x80x9d is an undesirable condition that detracts from the presentation of an effective lenticular display. The claimed invention claims different means for maintaining intimacy between the lenticular image and the lenticular lens, thus eliminating undesirable xe2x80x9csoft spotsxe2x80x9d that may occur.
One embodiment of the claimed invention, as shown in FIG. 2, is directed to a signage display system utilizing the claimed lenticular display assembly with the means for maintaining the intimacy of the relationship comprising a sealed bladder that is formed by attaching a flexible material such as thin plastic sheeting to the rigid back plate. The sealed bladder is inflated with air by way of a hose connected to a motorized pump mounted to the back side of the back plate that pushes the lenticular image toward the lenticular lens. As the sealed bladder inflates, it pushes against the back side of the lenticular image. Due to the lenticular image being printed on a pliable medium such as plastic film, the sealed bladder pushes the lenticular image toward the lenticular lens as the rigid back plate resists deflection. The internal pressure of the sealed bladder can then be increased or decreased to control the intimacy of relationship between the lenticular image and the lenticular lens. A preferred technique for pressure control is the use of a pressure control valve such as a Johnson Controls Model Number P32 AF-2, having an adjustable pressure threshold from 0.05 to 5 inches of water. A small cooling fan, similar to the type used to ventilate a personal computer housing, may be mounted over an opening in the back plate as a substitute for the motorized pump that inflates the bladder.
Another embodiment of the claimed invention shown in FIG. 4 is directed to a signage display system utilizing the claimed lenticular display assembly with the means for maintaining the intimacy of the relationship comprising a sealed chamber between the lenticular lens and the rigid back plate. A motorized pump by way of a hose evacuates the sealed chamber to form a vacuum within the sealed chamber. The vacuum pulls the lenticular lens and lenticular image toward the rigid back plate. As the sealed chamber is evacuated, the lenticular lens and the lenticular image are drawn together to attain the desired intimacy between the lenticular image and the lenticular lens. The evacuation rate can be altered to vary the intimacy of the relationship between the lenticular lens and the lenticular image.
Yet another embodiment of the claimed invention shown in FIG. 3 is directed to a signage display system that utilizes the claimed lenticular display assembly with the means for maintaining the intimacy of the relationship utilizing the sealed chamber concept to deflect the lenticular lens toward the lenticular image. This embodiment forms a sealed chamber between the lenticular lens and a rigid protective glass or cover that protects the lenticular lens. The sealed chamber is pressurized with air by way of a hose connected to a motorized pump mounted to the back side of the rigid back plate. As the sealed chamber pressurizes, the lenticular lens deflects toward the lenticular image to attain the desired intimacy between the lenticular image and the lenticular lens.
As discussed above, one embodiment of the present invention contemplates a self-contained display system utilizing a lenticular lens and graphic in which a motor displaces the graphic to bring the appropriate portions of the artwork into alignment with the lens segments. In order to minimize the xe2x80x9csoft spotxe2x80x9d phenomenon that plagues known displays of this type, one of the illustrative embodiments utilizes a pressurized bladder to ensure the requisite degree of intimacy of contact between the display surface of the graphic and the lens through which the images are viewed.
Although the bladder system represented an innovation in this type of display, construction of a properly operating system based upon this technology has proven to be a bit touchy as well as a bit expensive. Since the thin, inflatable bladder requires an internal pressure only slightly greater than ambient to function properly, a pressure regulating system of the necessary sensitivity and accuracy is an expensive item that is difficult of construction and installation. It may also add a measure of fragility to the overall system that is considered something of a drawback, considering the field environment in which these display systems are regularly used.
To overcome this difficulty, an alternative embodiment is described in which a transparent conductive coating is applied to either or both the lenticular lens and the graphic sheet, and an electrical charge is then applied. The electrical charge attracts the graphic sheet to the lens relatively firmly and uniformly, eliminating the need for the bladder or other alternatives for achieving intimacy of contact as described above. Of course, the charge cannot be too great, or the graphic sheet will adhere so firmly that the standard drive motor may no longer be capable of moving it smoothly.
It is also worth noting that the lenticular lens described hereinabove serves the purpose of resolving a particular image (among a set of images that have been applied to the graphic image plate) for the benefit of an observer at a distance. Other means for resolving an image, other than a lenticular lens, have also proven to be advantageous. Chief among these is the so-called xe2x80x9cbarrier stripxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cshutter filmxe2x80x9d comprising an alternating series of parallel, laterally extending regions of an opaque and transparent nature. A barrier strip may be substituted for the lenticular lens plates recited in the specification.
Other advantages and aspects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the invention.